Turkish troops deployed to Kosovo to bolster NATO forces amid recent clash

The Turkish commando battalion requested by NATO has arrived in Kosovo to assist in quelling recent violent unrest in the Balkan country, according to Türkiye's defence ministry.

The ministry shared a video showing troops wearing the insignia of the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force departing Türkiye and arriving in Kosovo on Sunday.

Violent clashes with ethnic Serbs last Monday left 30 international soldiers — 11 Italians and 19 Hungarians — wounded, including fractures and burns from improvised explosive incendiary devices.

The clashes grew out of a confrontation that unfolded earlier after ethnic Albanian officials elected in votes overwhelmingly boycotted by Serbs entered municipal buildings to take office and were blocked by Serbs.

Around 500 Turkish troops would be deployed, a defence ministry official said last week. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with ministry regulations.

“The first convoy of the commando battalion attached to the 65th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Command (Luleburgaz) has completed its transit to Kosovo,” the tweet on the official account read.

NATO announced last Tuesday that it would be sending 700 troops to bolster the force in the area. KFOR currently consists of almost 3,800 troops, including some 350 from Türkiye.

The request for additional troops came from NATO’s Joint Force Command Naples. The battalion will be joining KFOR as a reserve unit.

On Sunday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for sending the reinforcements.

Speaking to reporters following the closed-door meeting with Erdogan at the Dolmabahce Presidential Office, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: "I thank Türkiye for sending reinforcements to northern Kosovo following the recent unrest" in the region.

Stoltenberg had condemned the violence on NATO personnel saying that NATO "will take all necessary actions to maintain a safe and secure environment for all citizens in Kosovo" and will continue "to act impartially, in line with our United Nations mandate."

Both Kosovo and Serbia, which has massed troops near the border "must take concrete steps to de-escalate the situation and refrain from further irresponsible behaviour," he added.

"They should engage in the EU-facilitated dialogue, which is the only path to a political and lasting peaceful solution," he added.